Silencing Your Negative Inner Voice

When you listen to your inner voice, do you hear words of encouragement and praise

or condescending remarks and put-downs?

More often than not, our inner voice is not very kind, and sometimes it is downright mean. It’s the voice that says that we can’t do something or that we’re not good enough, smart enough or pretty enough. It’s the inner critic telling us that we’ll never succeed.

The problem is that we often listen to this inner voice. We begin to believe what it has to say. We let it stop us from reaching our goals or pursuing our dreams. We even use it as an excuse to not even try.

So, how do you get that negative internal dialogue to stop so that you can do the things you want, be the person you desire and finally free yourself and take charge of that negative enemy?

 Here are some steps you can take to help

Acknowledge your inner dialogue

When you truly pay attention to the number of times your inner voice talks to you during the course of a day, you may find yourself amazed at how often it is present. Because you hear it all the time, you’re likely to be listening to it without even realizing it.

See how often you’re making statements to yourself that are hindering your ability to do great things. Acknowledgement is the first step in any process of taking charge.

Challenge your inner voice’s statements

You need to have that same attitude when it comes to your inner voice. When it tells you that you’re “bad” or you’re “stupid”, then challenge it. Ask yourself “Is this really true?”

Quiet your inner dialogue

Once you get to the point where you can acknowledge what your inner voice is saying and challenge it, then you need to learn to quiet it. Like a lot of people in our lives, just because it has a voice doesn’t mean that it should be using it!

When you notice that you’re saying unkind or unhelpful things to yourself, it’s time to turn down the volume. You need to make sure that the negative dialogue isn’t anywhere near as loud as the positive dialogue.

One way to do this is to imagine that you have a remote control for your negative inner voice. When you hear it talking, it’s time to hit the volume control button to turn it down or, if you’re feeling extremely powerful, hit the power button and turn it off completely!

Replace your negative dialogue with positive dialogue

Now that your mind is not using precious time listening to the negative internal dialogue you’ve been hearing for way too long, it’s time to replace it. It’s time to get some positive internal dialogue coming your way.

For example, when you hear yourself say that you can’t do something, replace it with the fact that you can or why not. When you hear that you’re not good enough, smart enough or pretty enough replace it with the statement that you are good enough, smart enough and pretty enough. Whatever your negative inner voice says to you, just replace it with the exact opposite wording.

Believe the positive dialogue

This is probably the most difficult step. Chances are good that you’ve been listening to the inner voice for quite some time. So, changing the way you talk to yourself is one thing – believing what you’re saying is something completely different.

There is something you can do to help you with this particular step though. Make a list of all your positive qualities. Come up with all the things you like about yourself as well as things that others have complimented you on.

Now, when you hear your inner voice starting to be louder just pull out that list. In fact read your list daily or even several times a day. Make it your mantra.

Always be a work in progress

You don’t have to be perfect to feel good about yourself. All you have to be is the best person you can be at this moment in time. Remember you’re a work in progress as we all are. Be compassionate to yourself because you are working on being better – you are trying even if you get it wrong from time to time or slip into listening to that negative voice. Tomorrow is a new day to silence or keep silent that negative inner voice.

Here are two blogs you might find useful

Test how resilient you are
Tips to boost your inner resilience

And my short and snappy online course to assess and develop self-awareness may be useful

Finally 121 coaching can help you transform your life – contact me to find out more

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